Catharanthus roseus (L.) G.Don
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Description
Catharanthus roseus is an erect, evergreen perennial herb or subshrub, usually 30–100 cm tall, producing white milky latex when injured. Stems are green, smooth, and much branched from the base. Leaves are opposite, simple, glossy, elliptic to oblong-elliptic, with entire margins, an acute to obtuse apex, and a short petiole. A prominent pale white midrib contrasts with the dark green lamina. Flowers are solitary or paired in the leaf axils, salver-shaped, with a slender corolla tube and five spreading petals. Flower colour varies from white to pink, rose, purple, or reddish, often with a contrasting darker eye at the center. The fruit consists of a pair of slender cylindrical follicles that split open at maturity to release numerous small, black seeds.
Diagnostic Characters
Distribution
Native range: Madagascar.
Introduced range: Widely cultivated and naturalized throughout tropical and subtropical regions worldwide.
In Pakistan: Commonly cultivated throughout Pakistan, and frequently naturalized in gardens, roadsides, and disturbed habitats.
Phenology
Ethnobotany & Uses
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Where it grows on campus
Taxonomic Notes
Catharanthus roseus was formerly placed in the genus Vinca as Vinca rosea, a name still frequently encountered in horticultural literature. It is now recognized as the type species of the genus Catharanthus and is readily distinguished by its opposite glossy leaves with a conspicuous white midrib, showy five-petaled flowers, paired slender follicles, and milky latex. Its extraordinary pharmaceutical importance has made it one of the most extensively researched medicinal plants in the world.